Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides

  

I wasn't expecting all that much from the latest in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as I was severely disappointed in the last film, but even my low expectations were not met. Now I have to admit my enjoyment of the film may have been altered if I hadn't watched it on an airplane after staying up for over 24 hours but I don't think it would have altered it all that much. 

Captain Jack Sparrow is back and after the fountain of youth but he's caught between the feared pirate Blackbeard, Blackbeard's daughter ex-nun and ex-lover of Jack's and Jack's old enemy Barbossa who has become a privateer (albeit only as a rouse to hunt down Blackbeard who took his leg (finally the franchise gets a peg-legged pirate)). My problem with the film was it's lack of direction and originality. It took gags from the first and second films and repeated them without a spark of newness about them. The only storyline that I liked in the film was between the mermaid and the priest which even that one felt a bit out of place. I guess that relationship sort of took over for the lack of Will and Elizabeth's relationship and was more interesting than the relationship or rather the back story of Jack and Angelica. The change in director definitely hurt the film and although I like Rob Marshall's other directorial work I think his talent is misplaced in the Pirate franchise.

The bottom line is that I had hoped for a come back of the Pirates films after the disaster known as the third film but this latest film did not deliver. It didn't have the same fun atmosphere that a pirate film should have and that the first two films of the franchised recognized. It has become too serious and no longer seems based on a ride at Disney theme park. Although Johnny Depp is brilliant in his role as Jack, as always, the film just doesn't measure up to him.

I Want Candy

  

I Want Candy is not the best sex comedy out there but it's not the worst either. It's a British comedy film about two filmmakers still in school who are told that their end of year project must be a short film and not their feature length film they've been working on. So in order to get their film made, Joe the producer of the two sets out to get their film funded and ends up making a deal with a pornography company headed up by gangsters. However there is a catch. The only way their film is funded is that Candy Five-Ways, who is a big pornography star must star in their film. Comedy ensues as the two guys try to make a new type of pornography that's artistic and they talk Candy into working with them making their film at Joe's parent's house while their away at work.

Overall, it's an okay film but nothing that I would necessarily see again. Truth be told the only reason I watched it was because Jimmy Carr has a cameo in it and as an added bonus Miranda Hart also briefly appears. Of the other films that also deals with this similar plot line this one stands out because of the cameos of Carr and Hart but for people are aren't fans of them it wouldn't be anything special. I did enjoy Michelle Ryan's performance as well. The film could have been better had their been more character development and it wasn't such a cliche. I think the performances of the actors were really wasted in this film and it just didn't have enough to make it stand out and above the rest.

Men Behaving Badly Series 2-7

  

I had been reluctant to continue with Men Behaving Badly because I knew Harry Enfield had left and I had really loved his character (a similar situation I found myself in when I started watching the new Doctor Who, I hadn't wanted to see someone besides Christopher Eccleston) but I decided to give Neil Morrissey a chance. By the third series Tony had grown on me and I liked the chemistry between Morrissey and Clunes. Tony's constant chasing after Deborah was amusing to a point but Tony can be really annoying and whiny which makes him a less desirable character. Martin Clunes looked progressively worse throughout the series and there was so much focus on if he and Dorthy were going to stay together I often wondered why she actually staid with him. Overall their relationship was one under constant attack from both parties stepping out on each other but always going back without little problem. For me it was a strange situation because normally I have major problems with the representation of affairs but somehow the show made it work and more importantly the relationship between Gary and Dorthy made it work. The way their relationship has been set up throughout the series allows the affairs that each of them have to be taken more lightheartedly and allows for a quick forgiveness of the others actions. The best affair by far was between Dorthy and Tony which just seemed inevitable to happen. Although surprisingly it seemed the quickest to be forgiven which is odd given that Tony and Gary are best mates and all other affairs were with people outside their mutual circle of friends. 

The subject of sex, which is granted what the show is about got old when the women would dictate when and under what circumstances sex would happen. It was a little annoying that the women were always saying no but I understand that it taps into the time period of post-feminism so it fits but for a 21st century women it is a bit disheartening. 

Although I enjoyed the show a lot and I think that the addition of Tony helped because I don't see Dermot ever being successful with Deborah but I think it went on for too long. This may have something to do with the fact that I was binge watching the series without breaks that could have caused an overload but it seemed to lose it's charm in about the 5th series. Most of that is due to the replacement of Les with Ken as the landlord of The Crown. This seems to be a tendency of British sitcoms where they add in another character for comic relief that isn't very funny and it seems to be the same type of comedy that the character represents. Ken seemed to be a ploy to take some of the comedy off of Tony to allow his relationship with Deborah to become more serious and actually happen. In fact once Tony and Deborah got together and the couples were more stable the room for comedy lessened although was still present. I think Tony's best series was the third and he sort of got less interesting after that. The final three 45 minute episodes were hard to watch because of the drastic change in his hair which I really didn't like. The series went on for too long and it was hard to maneuver any sort of growth in the characters to match their aging bodies. It got to a point to where it wasn't funny anymore because Gary and Tony were too old to be behaving badly. This is most poignantly represented in the final episode where Tony becomes the postman and Deborah is no longer turned on by him because of his serious attitude and grown up job. There is a point at which the series can no longer continue which signaled by 'Delivery' but really had come before in the series. In a way it could be read as another additive to laddish culture of not wanting to grow up and face the reality of the world. In the end Tony gives up his boring behavior for Deborah but there seems to be a clear signal that the series wouldn't be able to continue on from this moment and that perhaps this moment could have easily come sooner.

I leave you with a scene from my favorite episode 'Drunk' from the fourth series which is what initially attracted me to the series which nicely sums up the show and its preoccupation with lad culture.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

  

The end has finally been reached with the Harry Potter franchise. It's all been building up to this moment so forgive me a moment of reflection over the series. I remember when the popularity of Harry Potter was just beginning. My sister had started the books and I tried reading them but thought they were boring and stopped after only a few pages of the first book. When the first film was coming out I figured it would be better to give the book another try before I watched the film and this time the book grabbed my attention and I read all of them that were out at the time. 

I still remember sitting in the theater for that first film with my family and the first images on screen. Dumbledore stealing the lights of the street. I ended up seeing every Potter film in the theater even dressing up for the third film. Harry Potter was such a cultural phenomenon, like Star Wars, but one I was growing up with. Now the seventh book is one of my least favorite books so I wasn't really looking forward to the last film except to finish the series. Watching Part 1 I felt really excited for Part 2 and I kept putting it off but I finally say down to watch it.

I think some of the problems with the film are also in the book so it's hard to overcome that but some of the choices I felt were unnecessary and I was disappointed in David Yeats' direction which I loved in the fifth film. There were too many scene where nothing happened. Shots dragged on for too long without anything of consequence happening. And I can't help but thinking that if they were to take those shots out they could have been only one film.We really didn't need to see Harry finding and destroying each and every horcrux, that's why there's a book! The epilogue was horrible but it was horrible in the book as well. I remember reading that the cast were going to be aged using the same technology that was used in Benjamin Button but they didn't look much older. And Ginny's outfit was ridiculous! Ralph Finnes was good as Voldemort but I felt his character wasn't that great in this film. There just wasn't enough for him to do another signal that the two part film should have been just one.

The reappearance of  old characters was nice in a way to see them again but at the same time not handled well enough. The film spent too much time trying to be artistic and remind everyone of past characters without focusing on the main characters properly. The prime example I can think of is the conversation between Fred and George where they call each other by their names so that the audience knows which one dies in the end. It was so obvious that the audience being unable to differentiate between them needed to be told which one    died. There was so much death in this last one that you were almost overwhelmed by it and couldn't respond to it or feel a connection to the characters who died, due also to the poor set up of characters. Also, unlike the films in the past special effects were used too often. When Harry is taking Snape's memories and putting them in the pensive it floats in mid-air which is hadn't before and it didn't add to it. I miss the Chris Columbus films where the special effects were used sparingly to make it that much more magical like where the pictures move. having said that the attack on Hogwarts was magnificent.

Where the film did excel was in the representation of Snape's storyline/memories where everything about the past comes out which was beautifully acted by Alan Rickman. I was in tears throughout the whole scene. It was very well done. The film and the book for me is all about Snape as well as Neville Longbottom who also had a good part in this film. Standing up to Voldemort was a very funny scene but kinda awkward at the same time. It's weird to have it all over now it will be interesting to see what will replace Potter which seems to be the big question now but also I'm interested in finding out  if turning the last film into two parts will stick as a trend. Twilight is trying it but it may come down to each film. Once both parts are released on DVD it will be nice to see both parts together to really see if my initial reaction of not needed two films to tell the seventh book holds up. 

The Hour

  

The Hour, aired recently on BBC is a thriller revolving around broadcast news during the cold war. Dominic West, whom I know from The Wire is smarmy but not in a hot way (like Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns was) and he's just bearable enough to dismiss while watching. Part of it is his acting style, as in I don't see much of it and part of it is his character who isn't likable. The star for me is Ben Whishaw who was creepy as all get out in Perfume but is amazing in his role as Freddie Lyons. He looks almost too young to play the role of this tenacious journalist but somehow embodies the character perfectly with the help of the period clothing which really works for him. Burn Gorman (Owen from Torchwood) is very creepy in this series and he does it well, not that I doubted his abilities from what I've seen of his last series in Torchwood. Although the show is about this new type of news show at the source it's a thriller which is nicely put together to not overpower the narrative but keep you intrigued just the same. What this series really has going for it is the writing. It reminds me a lot of Aaron Sorkin's work, very fast paced with a lot of dialogue. It's a constant stream, mostly from Freddie and it's intelligent. The production value is high and the aesthetics of the show are well done especially in getting the feel of the period.

With the film premier of Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy next week this seems to be a new trend towards thrillers. A move away from the supernatural possibly but with no indication of how long it will last, however, the BBC has commissioned a second series of The Hour so it's possible the trend will stick at least for a little while. Whether or not its a trend that sticks around, I'll be looking forward to the second series, even with Dominic West.